Circuit breaker



R M. SMITH CIRCUIT BREAKER Filed Feb. 21, 1934 INVENTOR. flaw /7. /7 7 5/724. 5'7 ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 25, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 Claims.

This. invention relates torcircuitbreakers, the object-being to-provide a circuit-breaker that automatically makes or breaks the circuit through centrifugal force or through use of an electromagnet or similar instrumentality.

The structure is one in which an armature is carriedby a spring contact member within a vacuum. tube or receptacle preferably formed of a transparentmaterial such as glass, and a feature. of the invention resides in the use of an armatureator near the contact end of the spring member for engaging a similar non-resilient contact member and in which the armature is of a tubular form positioned approximately on the axis of the tube and with the contact either closed or broken and further one in which the armature member being of considerable weight may beutilized inconjunction with an electrically operated rotated: member in which the speed of rotation. is. to. be controlled.

These objectszand the several novel featuresof the invention are hereinafter more fully described. and claimed; and the preferred form of constructionv of a circuit breaker embodying my invention. isshownin the accompanying drawing in.which-- Fig; 1: is a. longitudinal. section of my improved circuit: breaker on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 2 is a representation principally diagram-- matic. in form showing the use of my circuit breaker to control: a motor having a special function: hereinafter described.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing my improved. circuit. breaker operating through centrifugal' force- One. form: of my improved circuit breaker is illustratedfinFig. 1 in which 1 indicates one form of. a vacuum tube towhich the lead wires 2 and 3 of a. circuit extend and the terminals or tongues of. which areindi'cated at.4 and 5 having contact points 6. and T respectively at the unsupported ends. The-tongue! is-of spring material, that is, resilient and. flexible while the tongue 5 is comparatively rigid and non-resilient. The member 4! preferably also is formed with one or more loops to secure flexibilityand resiliency and also has a portion thereof attached directly as by brazing or weldingto an: armature. 9 here shown as a tube through the openends 4 of which both the contact terminals: or tongues 4 and extend. This. armature is mounted. at a distance from the point. of. support of; the: tongue members inv the inturned base. portion. ill of the. tube and by which they are. rigidly supported at this point. The tubular form of the armature provides a shield. for the contact points'in the form shown in Figs..2xand 3 and in any of the forms, within the scope of theappended' claims, limits the extent of movement of the resilient member by reason of contact thereof with the container wall 5 and functions either in the making or the breaking of: the. contacts by theinherent spring action of'the. resilient memberin the form of the structure. shown in:Figs..1 and 2 or through centrifugal force. in the form shown in Fig. 3. 10

This circuit breakerisfor more or less delicate workandi heretofore; with contactsmade in the open air, the arcing incident to the making and breaking, of the circuit tends to within a short time destroy the efficiency of the device, the contactsbeing covered with a scale and burning out. By mounting. the same in a vacuum or in a tube filled withan inert gas, such difliculties are practically completely avoided and a circuit breaker; of. long life is secured.

Inthe. form of. the invention shown in Figs.

1 and 2 the parts are so assembled that the contacts are normally open- In the: form: of thetubein Fig-1,the two input lines 2 and. 3 are at the same end of the tube but,. as. illustrated. in Fig. 2,. the corresponding lines 21 and 22 are at. opposite ends of the tube. However, in. either case; the function and operation: of the. device isidentical.

One use of the device. is illustrated in Fig. 2 in whichthere. is: an electriccircuit to a motor 30 controlling the. length of the are in a carbon lamp in which thetwo electrodes 3| and 32 are movedtowardor fromeachother by the threaded shaft. 33. on; which: the holders-34 and 35 for the 35 respective. carbon elements are in threaded relation,.the.threads i6v for the arm 34 being for instance; right hand while the threads 31 are. left hand. Thus, by rotation of the shaft 33 in one direction the carbons arecaused to approach each 0 other as the gaptends to lengthen by the burning away: of: the two. oppositely disposed ends of the carbon elements- This illustration is more or less diagrammatic but. is well known and understoodby those. familiar with the art. The shaft 5 3.3 is. connected directly to. a motor shaft or extension thereof indicated at 38.

The; carbons are connected to a current source whichv includes the generator G and the wires 40.-4| and 42' and to establish the arc the hand screw 43 for instance may be-turned to bring the carbons to point of contact and then separated to draw the arm.

A magnet: coil 44 is provided adjacent to the tube l" of Fig. 2 and the tubular armature 9 the armature limiting movement of the resilient tongue when unrestrained by the magnet.

3. A circuit interrupter comprising a tube, electrically insulating material, a movable tongue therein having a contact point, a fixed non-resilient tongue lying in parallel relation with the movable tongue and having a contact for engagement with the contact point of the movable tongue, an armature of tubular form carried by the movable tongue and limitedly movable in the tube and thereby limiting the extent of movement of the movable tongue, said armature being adjacent the free end of the tongue and the opposite ends of both tongues being supported by the tube and respectively connected with leadin wires of a circuit, and an electro-magnet exteriorly of the tube and so positioned that upon energization the armature is moved to change the relative position of the contact points and thus make or break a circuit as the case may be.

4. A circuit interrupter comprising an exhausted tube, a non-resilient non-vibratable tongue therein having a contact, a resilient tongue therein having a companion contact, both said tongues being supported at one end by the tube, a tubular armature within the said tube and secured to the resilient tongue, the said tongues extending into the interior of the tubular armature and an electro-magnet positioned exteriorly of the tube and adapted upon energization to move the armature and thereby change the normal position of the contact member to make or to break a circuit as the case may be, the said spring member restoring the contacts to the normal position upon de-energization of the magnet, said tubular armature limiting the extent of movement of the resilient tongue when unrestrained by the magnet.

5. A circuit interrupter comprising a tube adapted to shield the contact points from atmosphere to prevent arcing and scaling of the contact points, a pair of tongues in the tube, each supported at one end by the tube and extending longitudinally thereintoand each having a contact at its opposite end, one of the tongues being resilient and normally tending to maintain the points in a predetermined relationship, said resilient tongue being formed with a loop to provide increased resiliency, and a metal member supported by the said spring tongue near its end and beyond the said loop providing a means through which force may act to move the contact of the resilient tongue from normal position to make or break a circuit as the case may be, the spring tongue acting to restore the contact points to normal relationship upon cessation of action of the disturbing force.

6. A circuit interrupter comprising a container of insulating material of hollow form and cylindrical interior wall, a pair of lead-in wires, a tongue associated with each lead-in Wire, one of said tongues being resilient a terminal on the said tongues through contact of which the circuit of the lead-in wires is closed, an armature of tubular form on the resilient tongue, the other terminal being fixed in character and extending into the armature out of contact therewith, the outer diameter of the armature being less than the inner diameter of the container thereby limiting the movement of the armature by the resilient tongue and maintaining the same out of contact with the fixed tongue, and an electromagnet exteriorly of the container through energization of which the armature is moved to close the terminals.

7. A circuit interrupter comprising a tubular member, a pair of tongues extending longitudinally thereof, each of the tongues being supported within the tube and respectively connected at one end with the lead-in wires of a circuit, the opposite ends of the tongues each having a contact point, one of the tongues being inherently resilient and vibratable and the other of the tongue being non-resilient whereby the contact point thereof is maintained substantially in fixed position for engagement with the contact point of the resilient tongue, the resilient tongue tending to maintain the contact points in a predetermined relationship and tending to return to normal position subsequent to forcible movement from the predetermined relationship, and a metal member secured to the resilient tongue near its contact point and at a distance from the point of support thereof to secure maximum movement of its contact point within the tube by a disturbing force.

RALPH M. SMITH. 

